Door latch of the bored-in type



Apxjil 20, 1943. B A QUINN 2,317,300

DOOR LATCH OF' THE BORED-IN TYPE Fi1ed Jan. 2, 1941 2 sheets-sheet 1 Z/ /5/ ./0. y l /39/ A Z2 lll i 2Q 1 l @L f L-J Z2 /5 Z 2 1 -1 Mdm W April 20, 1943 B. A. QUINN 2,317,300

DOOR LATCH OF THE BORED-IN TYPE Filed Jan. 2, 1941 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Apr. 20, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE` DOOR LATCH OF THE BORED-IN TYPE Bert A. Quinn, St. Paul, Minn.

Application January 2, 1941, Serial No. 372,748

3 Claims.

My present invention relates to devices generally designated as door latches and is in the nature of an improvement on door latches of the type disclosed and claimed in my pending application Serial Number 299,115 iiled October 12, 1939. In the application of door latches of the above noted type, it has been necessary to cut deep and quite large notches in the free edge of the door, thereby weakening and defacing the free edge of the door.

My present invention provides a simple and highly eiicient way of applying these door latches to doors simply by boring a hole through the door away from the free edge of the door and without in any way defacing the free edge of the door. Otherwise and generally stated, this invention provides an improvement in locks of the above character adapting them to be applied to doors on the plan generally designated as the boredin type. The advantages of bored-in type latches over the notched or cut-in type are that the free edges of the door are not notched or defaced and that the hole for the latch may be quickly and properly located and formed.

In my present improved lock, I accomplish the above results by the use of a latch casing or core that is capable of being inserted endwise into the hole formed therefor ln the door and to be positioned and held and the hole covered by suitable escutcheon plates. There will be both inside and outside escutcheon plates and preferably, the latch casing or core is formed integral with or otherwise rigidly secured to the inside escutcheon plate.

A commercial form of the improved lock is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view, chieiiy in horizontal section but with some parts in full plan view, showing portions of a door frame and a door and with the latch mechanism applied to the latter;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. l, the parts of the door frame being removed;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a section taken approximately on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, parts being broken away;

Fig. 5 is a view in perspective showing the outside latch plate;

Fig. 6 is a View in perspective showing the inner escutcheon plate as formed integral with the latch casing;

`fully described.

Fig. 7 is a view corresponding to Fig. 1 illustrating the same structure except that the outside escutcheon plate is dished or offset to compensate ior a thin door; and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view looking at the face of the dished latch plate and showing a portion of the door frame.

The door frame illustrated is indicated by the numeral I0 and the casing by the numeral I I. This frame I0 is rabbetted in the customary way, and just inward of the rabbet is provided with a bored-in strike plate I3 set into a recess counter-bored into the frame I0. This strike plate is in the form of a thin sheet metal cup having a peripheral flange that overlaps the hole I4. The construction and operation of this cup-shaped strike plate will be hereinafter more The door I5, which may be assumed,to be a storm door or screen door hinged in the usual way, is provided near its free edge with a latchreceiving bored hole or aperture I6 that is spaced from the free edge of the door leaving the free edge of the door in perfect or unmarred formation.

The latch casing I'I, which is adapted to be inserted or threaded endwise through the hole I6, is preferably a sheet metal structure bent into flattened tubular form. Fig. 6 illustrates the manner in which this latch casing II and the inside escutcheon plate I8 may be formed from a single piece of normally hat sheet metal. The escutcheon plate I8 thus formed is preferably applied to the inner side or face of the door where it will cover the inner end of the hole I6 and will hold the casing I1 properly positioned when the said escutcheon plate-forming portions I8 are secured to the door by devices such as screws I9, best shown in Fig. 2. 'I'he outside escutcheon plate 20 will be independently secured to 'the door by screws or other suitable devices. The handle 2i of the latch here illustrated is preferably a double-ended lever of substantially C-shape or outline and may be` very much like that of my prior application, being preferably a sheet metal structure formed channel-shaped in cross section. This handle or lever 2| is provided with a pivoted latch dog 22 that is preferably placed within the channelof the handle 2l with its cam-acting latch lug 22 projecting through a slit in said handle so that it will be brought into proper registration with the latch plate I3 when the door is closed. The handle is pivoted tothe latch casing Il and said latch dog is pivoted to said handle by a common pivot pin or bolt 23.

The handle 2| and the latch dog 22 are both subject to a common coiled spring 24 that is pressed directly against the latch dog 22 and reacts against a stop 25 formed in the back of the casing I1. The spring 24 indirectly acts on the handle 2l by pressing the latch dog 22 against the same in a direction to hold the latch lug 22' engaged with the slot in the latch plate I3.

The manner in which the latch mechanism may be quickly applied is probably obvious, but may be brleily stated as follows:

The lever or handle 2| and the latch dog, a1- ready pivotally connected to the latch casing I1, will be applied by inserting one end of the handle through the hole I6 and pressing the latch casing I1 into the hole and then securing the inside escutcheon plate Il to the door, as already described, ,and this, as is evident, positions the operative parts of the late to the door. I The outside escutcheon plate` 2li c n`then be readily applied by slipping the same over the outer end of the handle and securing the same to the door.

The structure illustrated in Fig. '1 is the same structure as that illustrated in the other views, with the exception that the outside escutcheon plate 20a is recessed to receive a projecting portion of the latch casing when the latter is applied to a door I5a that is thinner than the door I5 shown in the other views.

As a means for locking the latch in latching position, shown in Figs. 1 and "I, an oscillatory lock .piece 26 is shown as pivoted to the inside escutcheon plate I8. This lock piece is not, however, herein broadly claimed, but it may be stated that when in the position shown in Fig. 2, the latch mechanism will be free for operation, but that when the said latch piece is turned under the latch dog 22, the latter will be securely held in its latchin position.

The construction and arrangement of the strike plate I3 is highly important. Its body portion is designed to ilt rotatively within the recess' Il and it is secured to the frame I0 by a wood screw 21. The counterbore formed in the frame I0 for the reception of the strike plate I3 is preferably of the same diameter as the hole I6 so that f the same blt may be used for both purposes. In the use of the boring tool for forming the recess Il, the lead point of the bit will start a hole for the .screw 21 and which hole will be at the axis of the counterbore. The operative or latchengaging interior of the strike plate I3 is eccentric to the axis of the screw 21 and to the axis of the exterior of said strike plate so that by rotary adjustments of the strike plate, its` axis of the screw 21 than is the surface IIb. Of course, when screw 21 is tightened. the strike plate I3 will be secured-in the particular adjustment in which it may be set to take up the slack. This improved rotatively adjustable strike plate is capable of use in connection with any form of latch or door lock that has a projecting hook or cam-acting element for engagement with such strike plate.

Another important feature should be noted, to wit: that the escutcheon plate Il, at that portion thereof that overlaps with the door frame I0, is' inwardly offset at IBa and is of such size that Iit is pressed into the hole I6 with its exposed face ush with the inner face of the door I5. 'I'his feature is highly important because it makes it unnecessary to form a mortice, either in the door or in the door frame.

It is further highly important to note that both of the escutcheon plates terminate short of the free edge of the door. This Is important because it permits the free edge of the door to be planed `oif to properly ilt the `door opening without removing or -disturbing 'the lock mechanism.

While the improved latch has. in practice, been found especially serviceable for storm and screen doors, it is, of course, capable of being applied to various other kinds of doors.

In actual practice this improved device has been found to be highly elcient for the purposes had in view. In accordance with the statutes, I have illustrated and described a commercial form of the device, but it will be imderstood that the same is capable of various modifications as to details of construction and arrangement of parts within the scope of the invention herein disclosed and claimed.'

What I claim is:

1. A lock mechanism comprising a tubular casing having opposite rounded side portions adapted to ilt snugly within a cylindrical aperture in a door and intermediate flattened side portions,

an anchoring escutcheon plate for one side of the door extending at right angles to and integral with adjacent ends of the attened sides of the casing, a double-ended handle extending through the tubular casing and intermediately pivoted'to the flattened sides thereof, said handle having a latch dog projecting therefrom at a point offset from the handlepivot, and a spring located within the casing and compressed between the handle and casing and exerting yielding force tending to render the latch dog'operative.

2. The'structure recited in claim 1, and a second escutcheon plate for the opposite side of the door recessed to receive the projecting end portion of the tubular casing.

3. The structure recited in claim 1, wherein the integral escutcheon plate comprises a righi. angularly flanged portion of -each flattened side of the tubular casing, and means joining said ilanged portions adjacent a rounded side of the casing.

BERT A. QUINN. 

